The Underrated Fruit That Can Help You Poop And Is Heart-Healthy

Dealing with constipation and irregularity can be more than annoying. It can make it hard to focus on work or enjoy social outings. According to the results of a 2024 survey published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, about 39% of adults said their constipation had caused personal or professional impairment. If you can relate, you may be glad ot hear that adding one underrated fruit into your diet could give your digestive system the help it needs to keep your bowels moving. As a bonus, it may do your heart a world of good, too.

The fruit is called a quince, and a typical one resembles a slightly odd-shaped pear or apple. In fact, you may have encountered quince while shopping and not even realized it. Typically, quinces are abundant in the fall, although you may be able to find them all year depending upon where you buy produce. Or, you can order them from a few specialty retailers and boutique fruit sellers.

There's just one caveat: You can't eat quince raw.  Quince needs to be cooked; otherwise, you'll bite into a rock-hard fruit with an unpleasantly bitter-meets-sour-meets-astringent taste. However, if you poach a quince in water with or without sugar, you'll wind up with a soft, fragrant, and usable food that adds a fruity flavor and vanilla undertones to dishes. And you'll get a fiber bonus to give you a terrific gastrointestinal boost, as well as heart-friendly nutrients.

How much fiber is in a quince? Nutritional information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that a single quince offers 1.75 grams of fiber. Since it's insoluble fiber, the fiber doesn't change as it moves through your intestines. Insoluble fiber softens as it continues through the digestive tract, though, making elimination more comfortable and frequent.

Clinical investigations support the use of quince as a functional food to reduce gastrointestinal problems and backed-up bowels. For instance, a 2012 study (via Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences) explored the effects of quince juice and quince extract on colitis (inflammation of the colon) in rats. After five days, rats that were given higher daily doses of both quince-based foods exhibited less inflammation than those that weren't. However, the researchers agreed that further investigation was needed to know if similar results would occur in human subjects.

Another 2016 study, published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, identified quince seeds and highly concentrated quince extract as possible remedies for constipation based on a natural mechanism that promotes digestive tract muscular spasms. The same study mentioned that quince might be used to reduce the presence of toxic gut bacteria, ultimately lowering the intensity of stomach acids. While gut acid may not directly lead to constipation, a 2022 study in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility suggests that there may be a link between the two conditions, based on a survey of adults in Japan with a variety of gastrointestinal issues.

From a cardiovascular standpoint, quince provides helpful amounts of heart-boosting potassium and antioxidants. The USDA indicates that each quince contains 197 milligrams of potassium. According to the American Heart Association, potassium aids in reducing the body's sodium levels, lowering and stabilizing blood pressure levels. Daily potassium recommendations of 2,600 milligrams for women and 3,400 milligrams for men vastly exceed one quince's amount. But a quince can offer an added burst of the heart-healthy nutrient.

As an antioxidant source, quince has performed well as a cardioprotective agent under animal-focused laboratory conditions. For example, a 2013 study published in ARYA Atherosclerosis examined the effectiveness of giving quince leaf extract to rabbits with hardening of the arteries. Rabbits who consumed quince leaf extract daily for 12 weeks showed decreases in their total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. The researchers concluded that a contributing factor was likely the quince leaf extract's antioxidants.

A 2022 review in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine came to a similar conclusion, naming the antioxidants in several quince parts (flesh, leaf, seed) as potentially helpful to the vascular system. Likewise, a 2022 article published in Food Chemistry praised quince for its antioxidants,  claiming the fruit might have merit as a therapeutic solution for cardiovascular concerns.

Is quince hard to love? Maybe, especially because it can't be eaten without processing. But it might be worth a try as an occasional food that may aid your digestive and cardiovascular systems.